Neighbourhood Accessibility

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Neighbourhood Accessibility Planning (NAP) is a community-based programme coordinated by Hamilton City Council with the support of the New Zealand Transport Agency and other groups. NAP projects began early in 2004 in Nelson, Papatoetoe, Rotorua and South Dunedin and are now widespread across our country. The aim of the programme is to help communities to improve the quality and safety of walking and cycling networks as well as the accessibility of public transport, within a selected neighbourhood.

The project begins with data collection and community consultation to identify safety and access problems experienced by pedestrians, cyclists and shared mode users (which include those using mobility scooters, wheelchairs, and access to car pools and public transport).

The end product is a list of actions, specifically tailored to the neighbourhood’s issues, which are prioritised and agreed to by the community. These actions could include new pedestrian and cycling facilities, promotional initiatives, education and enforcement campaigns, environmental improvements, policy changes or any other remedial actions that will improve or increase the community’s ability to walk, cycle or use shared modes of transport.

The main principles of this process are that they:

Bring together key stakeholders to collaborate in addressing safety and access issues

Rely on community participation in identifying risks, developing solutions and implementing these solutions

Involve and engage all relevant local authority teams

Are based on risk and data analysis

Develop and implement an integrated package of engineering/environmental improvements, enforcement, policy, encouragement and educational interventions that will address the identified issues

Involve evaluation that ensures measurement of the implementation actions.